As the lift latches firmly into place upon reaching its destination, the group finds itself in a large, open room whose most striking feature is enormous piston pumps lining the walls, continuously pumping up and down and releasing steam at regular intervals. You can feel the pressure building in the room steadily, though it seems to have just began, as if in response to your arrival.

The other striking feature in the room is the enormous metal monstrosity that occupies it, a strange collection of spire-like protrusions held above the ground by four pump-like legs. Below the twisting, turning spires of metal (which continuously rotate back and forth, grinding against each other as they do so) is an enormous eye-like red light that seems focused entirely on the party. This must be the machine that Bluehand has elected to use to try and stop you.

The party coordinates a series of attacks on the large panzer doll, and it is left barely functional, with cracks throughout its ceramic-like body from the repeated strikes from both sword and spell. In contrast, the counter-attacks of the golems are less effective, with only the shaman taking a hit from the metallic quarterstaff of one of the smaller golems, though Sid's shielding infusion holds.

Sid's shot with the hand crossbow fails to find its mark, and the blasts from the still-active drones encircling the chamber blast away at the adventurers, though their attacks are unfocused and can't really cause much harm at this point. The half-orc continues to regenerate in the shaman's aura.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

You can enter the Manipulator's space at elevation 0 and end your turn within, though it is difficult terrain. You cannot enter squares occupied by its four legs, and its space at elevation 1-4 is blocked as normal.

At the end of Myn's turn, each of the discoid orbs will move five squares towards him. When they enter a space adjacent to or occupied by a creature Large size or smaller, they explode, dealing 6d6 lightning damage to creatures within 2 squares and disappearing. The effect ends (along with the mark and lightning vulnerability) ends when all the orbs are gone.

Sureiya deftly destroys the panzer doll, then moves to engage one of the remaining straf dolls. Myn takes a moment to reduce steam pressure before blasting doll 6 nearly to bits, and the shaman and Torinn team up to annihilate the undamaged smaller golem. Despite Torinn's defensive posture, the straf doll finds a hole in the dragonborn's stance and manages to score a brutal blow on the paladin's jaw, and Torinn feels like several teeth may have been knocked loose, though it's difficult to say how many with the blood now filling his mouth. Sid curses another unfortunate miss, then scampers over to further reduce steam pressure.

In an ominous move, the omnipresent carnage drones cease their attack and take up new positions around the arena. Sid sees this and manages to stammer a warning, "It looks like they're changing their attack pattern! We need to finish this and brace ourselves...!"

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

You can enter the Manipulator's space at elevation 0 and end your turn within, though it is difficult terrain. You cannot enter squares occupied by its four legs, and its space at elevation 1-4 is blocked as normal.

At the end of Myn's turn, each of the discoid orbs will move five squares towards him. When they enter a space adjacent to or occupied by a creature Large size or smaller, they explode, dealing 6d6 lightning damage to creatures within 2 squares and disappearing. The effect ends (along with the mark and lightning vulnerability) ends when all the orbs are gone.

With the golem's shoulder sheared, it collapses into a smoking heap before its blow manages to connect with Torinn. Even as the half-orc draws back his blade, there's a brief, blinding light. After your vision returns to you, you find yourself in the same location, but it has become sort of surreal--nothing else seems to be moving except the party itself (and its summons).

Judgment protocols initialized. Establishing combat parameters...

Suddenly, you feel an enormous will crash against your minds, and you know that you have a brief respite before the battle begins anew--and that you should not try to escape, or face the wrath of whatever this entire being's consciousness is.

Sid looks pained, and as though he has a lot to say, but given the time constraints, he merely awaits the party's direction for now. "Infusions! I need to recharge my infusions!"

Sureiya's disruptive strike destroys the the doll before it can crit Torinn, so Torinn doesn't take 26 damage.
The lair's judgment decree seems to freeze time, and you can take a mini-rest or ready an action. You can also position yourselves on the map.

Bottom line: Sureiya is missing 1 HP. Everyone else (including the pets) is at full HP. Depending on who gave up a surge for the infusion, whoever didn't do so has 3 surges left. Everyone else has 2 surges left.

Out of nowhere, the party is thrown back into the battle just as they have a chance to have a breather and regain some of their power. The battlefield has changed in one very obvious way: there is now inexplicably a fifth pressure valve to the south.

More pressingly however, the group feels under the effect of some strange force, as if a potent curse has been placed upon each of them, directing them to only interact with certain pressure valves or face terrible consequences. Each party member seems to be designated a certain set of pressure valves that they know instinctively is safe, while the rest are now very dangerous to touch.

Despite Sid being taken aback by this confounding turn of events, the gnome rolls into action, springing forward to the front line and launching an explosive bolt of flame, which strikes the Manipulator in a fiery blaze. The fire that rains down seems drawn to the weapons of the nearby dragonborn, pegasus, and half-orc, the three finding their weapons enchanted in a similar manner to Sid's own hand crossbow, which he quickly reloads before tossing Torinn a quick infusion.

It is at this point that the machine you are inside reasserts itself, and you feel its will crash down upon the chamber. The result is that suddenly each of the pressure valves is releasing steam at an alarming rate, continuously increasing the steam pressure in the room. You know that each valve will increase pressure by a certain amount until you can manipulate that particular valve, which stops the leak.

Sid recovers burning weapons. Sid recharges his healing infusions.
The party completes their mini-rest. Upon completion, the lair is under the effect of judgment decree nisi. Each character and each steam pressure valve is designated orange or blue. If you do not have the matching decree nisi color designation when manipulating a pressure valve, you take 50 force damage. Note that this affects creatures that do not have any designation at all, like summons. There is one additional steam pressure valve to the south.
Sid uses resistive formula on Torinn. Sid moves. Sid uses burning weapons, hitting the Manipulator for 14 fire damage. Sid, Torinn, Rutger, and Sureiya are affected by burning weapons, dealing 5 extra fire damage on weapon and fire attacks.
The lair uses royal pentacle, causing all five pressure valves begin to leak, and will continue to leak until they are used to change the steam pressure. For each leaking pressure valve, pressure increases by 5 at the start of the Manipulator's turn, and by 10 at the start of the lair's turn.

Monster Knowledge: (Sid's Arcana) The Manipulator is similar to the last incarnation you faced. Its base statistics remain the same, and its action recovery, carnage drones, and shoulder mounts traits remain the same, and it gets the same scaling benefits to attack and damage from increasing steam pressure in the lair. Its autocannons and perpetual ray attack powers also remain the same. Its other attacks have changed in the following manner:

Mortal revolution no longer has anything to do with a wall of force or the manipulator being bloodied. Instead, the manipulator can simply use the attack portion of the power whenever steam pressure reaches 100 as a free action; if it is unable to take free actions it immediately ends the effect that prevent it from doing so instead. Either way, steam pressure decreases by 30 after doing so. Discoid conjures three Medium spheres of lightning in unoccupied spaces in the arena, which function in a similar manner to a wizard's flaming sphere power, except they don't damage a single creature more than once even if it is adjacent to multiple orbs, and the Manipulator can move and attack with all three spheres using one action (move action to move them, standard action to attack with them). Discoid is an encounter power, and the spheres last until the end of the encounter (they do not need to be sustained). Mindjack can now target one or two creatures in the burst.

Notes
As pressure increases, the Manipulator's accuracy and damage increase. If pressure reaches 100, the Manipulator can immediately use Mortal Revolution, decreasing pressure by 30.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

If you interact with a pressure valve that does not have the color that matches your decree nisi designation, you take 50 force damage.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

"How is this wicked machine working again?" Annoyed, the ranger focuses on the Manipulator once again and makes a fierce jump, together with two swings against the unlikely but rather still functional boss.

Oath of Enmity against the Manipulator.
Hunter's Quarry against the Manipulator.
Frenzied Skirmish! (Moving one square up and hitting for 32 and 30). The Manipulator is now slowed and dazed until the end of my next turn.

Sureiya wastes no time in turning Nightfall's twin blades on the machine, hoping to destroy the contraption for good this time. A strange divine power guides his strikes unerringly, and with only one target in sight the ranger is able to strike devastating blow after blow, slicing through the metallic casing that armors the enormous automaton. The warlock adds a single blast of eldrtich energy to the cursed contraption, and it seems to already be reeling from the combined assault. However, despite the air spirits' best efforts, the follow-up attacks from Myn fly far off target and don't cause any damage.

However, the Manipulator seems to still regard the paladin as its greatest threat, and it immediately unleashes a ray of pure force damage upon Torinn. Though his ears are ringing, the dragonborn can hear the telltale sound of a missile launch from atop the machine.

Sureiya uses hunter's quarry and oath of enmity against the Manipulator. Sueiya uses frenzied skirmish, hitting the Manipulator twice for 32 damage and 30 damage. The Manipulator is dazed and slowed until the end of Sureiya's next turn.
Sureiya spends an action point! Sureiya uses twin strike, hitting twice for 33 damage and 31 damage Sureiya uses sohei flurry hitting for 32 damage.
Myn curses the Manipulator and teleports. Myn uses eldritch blast, hitting for 33 damage.
Bernkastel uses direct the strike on Myn, but Myn misses, even with an action point reroll. Bernkastel moves and reduces steam pressure by 5, ending a pressure leak.
At the start of Torinn's turn, the Manipulator uses perpetual ray, which hits Torinn for 24 damage (reduced to 19). Torinn will be targeted by a missile at eot.

Notes
As pressure increases, the Manipulator's accuracy and damage increase. If pressure reaches 100, the Manipulator can immediately use Mortal Revolution, decreasing pressure by 30.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

If you interact with a pressure valve that does not have the color that matches your decree nisi designation, you take 50 force damage.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

Torinn's swipe of his blade comes up just short of connecting with the Manipulator, scoring merely a glancing blow off the automaton's armor. As he does so he brings up his shield to soften the blow as the missile explodes upon his armor, knocking the dragonborn back slightly as the fiery wave rolls over the half-orc, pegasus, and the owlbear as well. It is at this point that the Manipulator begins its attack pattern, with the steam pressure in the chamber beginning to steadily rise as it conjures three lightning orbs to menace its foes. The adventurers near each of these orbs are shocked with electric energy, however the ranger's earlier menacing blows have scrambled its circuitry too much to allow it to do much more at this time, though it seems to have cleared whatever confusion was clouding its judgment.

Sid springs into action, launching a crossbow bolt high into the air, which then explodes brilliantly, raining sparks upon the Manipulator and highlighting its weak points for the party. Both Myn and Sureiya immediately try to take advantage of this, but only the half-orc's blade finds its mark, the warlock cannot seem to land its eldritch blasts at this time. Sid quickly spreads an oily concoction on the dragonborn and half-orc, sliding Torinn and his mount far enough away such that the lightning sphere will not damage him, then scrambling back in a hurry to adjust the southern steam pressure valve and plug the leak.

It is at this point that the room's steam pressure takes a dramatic increase, and the drones unleash a powerful barrage of area attacks on the party, prompting the dragonborn to activate the gnome's healing infusion to shield both himself and the shaman against the oncoming attacks. Only three of the drones fire, however. The half-orc finds himself safely out of range of the lightning sphere thanks to the artificer's concoction, and the dragonborn hovers safely above.

Torinn just misses the Manipulator with brash strike. At the end of Torinn's turn, the secondary attack of the Manipulator hits Torinn, Rutger, and Sureiya for 24 fire damage (Sureiya and Torinn reduce to 19, Rutger reduces to 14), and misses Myn's owlbear.
On the Manipulator's turn, the steam pressure increases by 20 for 4 leaking pressure valves. The Manipulator uses discoid, hitting Torinn, Rutger, Bernkastel, and Myn for 15 lightning damage (Torinn reduces to 10, Rutger reduces to 5). The conjured lightning orbs persist and will damage creatures that start adjacent to them at the start of that creature's turn. The Manipulator's turn ends and it is no longer slowed.
Sid spends an action point and uses smokepowder blast, hitting the Manipulator for 28 fire damage and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). Sid uses targeting weapon on this hit. Sureiya gets to make a melee basic attack with a +5 power bonus to the attack roll.
Myn's attack granted by spell commander misses the Manipulator. Sureiya's melee basic attack hits for 27 damage.
Sid uses slick concoction to slide Torinn and Rutger 4 squares, and grants them and Sureiya a +4 bonus to Reflex. Sid runs south and lowers steam pressure by 15, stopping a leak.
At the start of the lair's turn, pressure increases by 30 for 3 leaking pressure valves. The lair uses carnage zero, and three of the carnage drones activate to make area burst 1 attacks, which must be centered on creatures. Torinn uses resistive formula to grant himself and one other ally of his choice within five squares 35 temporary hit points. Those hit take 12 force damage Rutger reduces to 2, Sid and Bernkastel take full damage. Torinn is missed because of powerful warning, and Torinn's melee basic attack hits for 14 damage.

Notes
As pressure increases, the Manipulator's accuracy and damage increase. If pressure reaches 100, the Manipulator can immediately use Mortal Revolution, decreasing pressure by 30.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

If you interact with a pressure valve that does not have the color that matches your decree nisi designation, you take 50 force damage.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

You take lightning damage if you begin your turn adajcent to a lightning sphere.

"I'll take care of the east valve!" the ranger says, launching two rather wide swings on the manipulator, and using his sword to teleport to the other side. Then he takes a breather and closes the valve next to him.

Jaws of the Wolf (one hit for 38 and a miss for 27)
Teleport using Nighblade
Invigorating stride! Second wind and shift two squares.
Close a valve with a minor action.

The team continues to coordinate its attacks effectively, reducing steam pressure gradually as Sureiya's extra attacks and Myn's more accurate series of blasts burns away swathes of the mechanical monstrosity's protective plating. Sparks and steam seem to leak from the machine, and it's clear that though it is severely damaged, it can still lash out with potent attacks if the fight is not brought to a swift end.

Notes
As pressure increases, the Manipulator's accuracy and damage increase. If pressure reaches 100, the Manipulator can immediately use Mortal Revolution, decreasing pressure by 30.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

If you interact with a pressure valve that does not have the color that matches your decree nisi designation, you take 50 force damage.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

You take lightning damage if you begin your turn adajcent to a lightning sphere.

Torinn's strike is effective at severely reducing the Manipulator's ability to aim, and when it tries to turn its autocannons on the dragonborn it can't seem to land a single hit because of the combination of his defensive stance and apparent invisibility to its sensors--even the hydrothermal missile impact only seems to affect the shaman, who is nevertheless quite effective.

Sid quickly reduces steam pressure and launches a bolt, which strikes its target and does more damage to the machine. However, even as Sid is adjusting the valve, he is alarmed to find that it, and all the others, have again begun to leak steam at an alarming rate. The fight must be brought to a close quickly, or things may get out of hand.

Torinn hits the Manipulator for 19 damage using brash strike with mocking smite. Torinn moves. The perpetual ray secondary attack misses Torinn and Rutger, but hits Bernkastel for 31 fire damage.
At the start of the Manipulator's turn, pressure increases by 5 for one leaking pressure valve. It takes ongoing 5 fire damage. The Manipulator uses its autocannons on Torinn's space, missing three times. The Manipulator spends an action point, and uses its move action to move the lightning spheres.
At the start of Sid's turn, he takes 13 lightning damage (reduced to 8). Sid uses magic weapon, hitting the Manipulator for 18 damage. Sid moves. Sid reduces steam pressure by 5.
At the start of the lair action's initiative, steam pressure increases by 10 for one leaking valve. The lair uses royal pentacle, and all the valves again begin to leak.

Notes
As pressure increases, the Manipulator's accuracy and damage increase. If pressure reaches 100, the Manipulator can immediately use Mortal Revolution, decreasing pressure by 30.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

If you interact with a pressure valve that does not have the color that matches your decree nisi designation, you take 50 force damage.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

You take lightning damage if you begin your turn adajcent to a lightning sphere.

Torinn becomes a flurry of movement, striking at the mechanical monster several times in quick succession.also spend an action point (reduce enemy defense by 1)
brash strike (40, 20)
brash strike again (31, 15)

Acting at the same time as the paladin, Sureiya sees a chance to stop the metal monstrosity for once. As the machine is busy throwing laser beams and moving the electric orbs around the room, the ranger climbs over the crazy hot pressure valve and jumps over the Manipulator.

The robot reacts violently to the invasion, which forces the ranger to stab one of his blades deep inside one of its legs to remain mounted. Then, much closer to his target, the half orc stabs the red-eye in the middle of the machine.

The group braces itself against the onslaught of lightning as Torinn endures yet another barrage from the Manipulator to expose its weak points to his allies before chipping away some of the last armor plates protecting the contraption's core from calamity with careful cuts from his blade.

It is at this point that Sureiya makes a quick strike to one of the remaining legs before making his way to the center of the machine and the now-exposed red eye in its center and plunges Nightfall directly into the center of it, sending streams of sparks and steam exploding forth, and the entire Manipulator lurches forward, as if it's about to collapse. Suddenly it begins to rock with fiery explosions, and both the lightning orbs and carnage drones vanish as the pressure valves abruptly cease leaking, and all near the machine feel an impending sense of danger as it threatens to violently mark its end.

"Quickly, quickly!" Sid yells, motioning for the party to put some distance between themselves and impending doom.

Notes
As pressure increases, the Manipulator's accuracy and damage increase. If pressure reaches 100, the Manipulator can immediately use Mortal Revolution, decreasing pressure by 30.

Pressure can be adjusted by manipulating the pressure control valves, which are the valves surrounded by yellow-and-black caution marks (not the elevator). A minor action can adjust pressure by 5, while a standard action can adjust pressure by 15, and you must be standing in one of the four squares marked by the yellow-and-black stripes to manipulate a pressure control valve. You do not need a free hand.

If you interact with a pressure valve that does not have the color that matches your decree nisi designation, you take 50 force damage.

The magitek bits are conjurations. They cannot be interact with except by Dispel Magic and the like, and they do not have their own initiative.

You take lightning damage if you begin your turn adajcent to a lightning sphere.

The party has mere seconds to put some distance between themselves and the Manipulator before there is a near-blinding flash and an explosion that rocks the entire chamber, sending scrap metal clattering across the floor and completely obliterating the ground beneath the location where the great machine once stood.

Removing his hands from his eyes and rising from a crouching position, Sid looks uneasily at the hole left on the floor where the Manipulator once stood. Finally he points in that direction, saying, "I suppose we should climb down... the Knot will be just below our feet now."

Sureiya creeps up to the edge of the hole leading down below and peers over into the abyss. There seems to be darkness near the very top, but there is a distant light providing enough illumination such that Sureiya can see a cylindrical chamber with enormous tubes lining the walls similar to the room in which the party battled the Living Liquid. It is about eighty feet below your current position and fifty feet in diameter, and at the ground level is lined with panels which the half-orc can just barely make out seem to be covered in knobs, gauges, and buttons.

It would appear to be some sort of control center, and in the middle stands a roughly twenty-foot in diameter protrusion at the top of which is a sphere that appears to be made of metal and split down the middle, as if it was designed to hold something inside of it that you cannot see. There are small protrusions jutting out from the sphere at regular intervals, occasionally which arc what appears to be lightning-like energy to the tubes at the side of the chamber. The ranger does not believe the room to be occupied based on his current observations.

Before the party moves out, the shaman quickly does the healing thing.>Use CFTSW with only Healer's Brooch and not Weapon of Healing so that it ticks for 7. This heals Torinn to 48 and Rutger to 27.
>Plant Battle Standard of Healing.
>Healing spirit for Torinn. Secondary target Myn.
>Inspiring Word for the shaman.

Sid can decide what to do about his used-up infusion and his missing 14 HP. Take a surge from someone else, use his own, spend a surge normally, curative admixture himself, whatever. If he does recharge an infusion, then the battle standard heals everyone for 3 more HP, putting Myn at full HP and Sid at 72 HP.)

The party descends, flying down via the ebony fly, Rutger, or whatever means they choose. Getting a better view of the room, it's clear that this is a somewhat small control chamber built around the Gordian Knot, which serves as the power source for all of Gordias. Sid immediately gets to work, and though it looks like he has a lot of things on his mind, he is too intensely focused to discuss them. The only other way into this chamber besides the hole you made in the ceiling appears to be an enormous gate that looks like a set of great steel double doors on the western side of the room.

The party stands guard over the doors, and after a few moments, Sid says simply and quietly, "All right... you all realized it by the end there? This... the structure itself was fighting us, somehow. And yet..."

At this, a familiar tiny winged dragon appears next to the shaman, and adds its piece.

Thou noticed as well. There seems to be no trace of Far Realm influence. Intriguing.

Sid gives an uneasy nod. "Still, we can't let Bluehand get his hands on this. If I power down Gordias, they can't restart it--not unless the arm is reattached to the body. That will put a glorious kink in their plans."

Sid pauses from his work, then looks over towards the party. "Something went very, very wrong in the creation of this machine. Did you notice how Gordias itself seemed to fight against us? It seemed to be helping Bluehand and hindering us..."

>>79036"Well, your will is plenty strong too, Lord Asgorath, but you don't make us crazy. It's the Far Realm stuff that's especially bad for us, right? Maybe it's okay to keep this machine in mind as a backup option against Ms. Tiamat."

The shaman then addresses Sid. "Can you do... what we discussed for entering this machine before, except more general?" The shaman hopes Sid remembers the discussion about creating a backdoor. "And maybe try to find Mr. Samel before shutting everything down."

Sid pauses from his work for a moment. "If we could find the central section--Alexander, it would be possible to re-power the machine... and perhaps re-purpose it. I cannot deny that its power may help in the coming fight against the Cult of the Dragon. Only thing is, in its current state, with its very will fighting against us, it seems extremely risky to do anything other than shut down Gordias." Looking back to the control panel, he adds, "I am as puzzled by this as Sureiya is. Did Bluehand somehow gain control of this place already? If so, why isn't he here? Is he using that book of his? ...At any rate, you're right. I'll try to locate Samel first."

"I suspect that Mister Tribunus may be less related to our previous encounters than he made it appear. Perhaps the structure is universally hostile, and he merely presented himself as ahead of us in assuming control."